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Vietnam editionIn an interview with Bloomberg on Oct. 18 Zelensky said that Washington’s latest decisions look like an attempt to force Ukraine to capitulate, and added that he does not accuse the partners directly (UNIAN, Ukrainska Pravda). In his words, the US supplies 12 missiles for Patriot a month, and deliveries paid for through PURL have partly not been approved (NV, RBC-Ukraine, Censor.net). He said that the message about the restriction of Starlink came from the US government and is still in force (Ukrainska Pravda, NV). US Treasury Secretary Bessent urged him to be “very careful” with statements about Starlink (Ukrainska Pravda, Yevropeiska Pravda). Trump said that Zelensky does not want to end the war (Ukrainska Pravda, Yevropeiska Pravda). NV linked the night attack on Kyiv on Oct. 19 to the fact that the US did not warn about the strike (citing Radio Liberty). There was no response from the White House on the substance of the accusations of pressure at the time of publication.
Missiles for Patriot and communication channels for the troops are what air defense and command at the front rest on, so words about delays and restrictions bear directly on the survival of cities. Kyiv has publicly linked the topic of supplies with the topic of strikes on Russian refineries, and this turns technical questions into political bargaining. The link with Trump’s diesel deal makes the conversation about sanctions and the war a single story.
For the reader this means more air raid alerts without warning and the risk of longer outages if air defense runs short of missiles. Watch outage schedules and official announcements from city authorities, not rumors.
Supporters of Kyiv’s position point to concrete figures — 12 missiles a month, paid-for but unapproved deliveries — and to the fact that the Starlink restrictions were directly confirmed in the US government. They stress that publicity is needed because quiet talks did not produce missiles.
The American side, according to reports, was indignant at the statements about Starlink: Bessent called them irresponsible, and Trump’s circle considers them harmful to dialogue. They recall that Ukraine asks for more than Washington is ready to give, and that decisions on weapons also depend on American stockpiles.
Confirmed: Zelensky’s words, the figure of 12 missiles a month as he gave it, Bessent’s reaction. Not confirmed: what exactly the US demands and whether there is an intent to force capitulation — Zelensky himself said this was not stated directly. Today we watch whether an official White House response comes and whether agreement can be reached on approving the rest of the paid-for missiles.
Ukrainska Pravda (Zelensky’s statement on capitulation, Oct. 18) · NV (Patriot and Starlink, Oct. 19) · Censor.net (missiles for Patriot, Oct. 19) · TSN (US pressure, Oct. 19) · UNIAN (Bloomberg, Oct. 19)
Zelensky: Washington’s steps look like an attempt to force Ukraine to capitulate
In an interview with Bloomberg the president spoke of US pressure, a delay in missiles for Patriot and restrictions on Starlink.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg, published on Oct. 18, that Washington’s latest decisions look like pressure aimed at forcing Ukraine to surrender to Russia. As UNIAN, Ukrainska Pravda and Censor.net relayed, he clarified that he is not accusing the partners directly, but believes steps were taken to persuade Kyiv to capitulate. NV and RBC-Ukraine reported that Ukraine has paid for missiles for Patriot through the PURL mechanism, yet the US is supplying only 12 such missiles a month, and some of the deliveries have still not been approved; American media compare this with volumes four times larger under the administration of Joe Biden. According to the same accounts, Kyiv is ready to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries if it receives more missiles for air defense, but in response hears only a demand to halt attacks on diesel infrastructure. Ukrainska Pravda quoted his words: if the US officially sides with Russia, Ukraine will not be able to hold out.
On the same day Zelensky said that the message about restricting Starlink for Ukraine came from the US government and that the restrictions are still in force, Ukrainska Pravda and NV reported. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged him to be “very careful” with statements about Starlink; Censor.net relayed his assessment of these statements as “very irresponsible.” US President Donald Trump, according to Ukrainska Pravda and Yevropeiska Pravda, said that Zelensky never wanted to end the war and that Ukraine lies in ruins. In the night into Oct. 19 Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic weapons; NV, citing Radio Liberty, reported that the US did not warn Ukraine about these strikes. RBC-Ukraine also relayed a statement from Trump’s circle expressing indignation at the words about Starlink. No official response from the White House to the accusations of pressure to capitulate has been published.